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You cannot use USDT yield to pay for AI on Gatewayz yet. USDT is Tether's dollar stablecoin, and like every stablecoin it has no native staking, so a return can only come from lending it to borrowers. Gatewayz lists USDT as coming: if it is added, lending interest Gatewayz actually receives would become an inference discount, but only through a lending protocol with a published audit. Today the live asset is ADA.
What is USDT and what backs it?
USDT is a fiat-backed stablecoin issued by Tether. Tether says it is backed 100% by its reserves, which it describes as mainly US Treasuries and reverse repo, plus other assets including gold and bitcoin.
Reserve mixes differ between issuers. USDC, for example, describes its reserves as mostly a government money market fund plus cash at banks.
How does Tether report its reserves?
Through quarterly attestations by BDO Italia, published on Tether's transparency page. An attestation is a point-in-time check that reserves existed on a given date. It is narrower than a full audit, so holders still rely on the issuer actually holding the reserves and honoring redemptions between reports.
| USDT | USDC | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Tether | Circle |
| Reserves, per issuer | Mainly US Treasuries and reverse repo, plus gold, bitcoin and other assets | Mostly an SEC-registered government money market fund, plus cash at banks |
| Reserve reports | Quarterly attestations by BDO Italia | Weekly holdings, monthly third-party assurance from a Big Four firm |
| Native staking | None | None |
Why can't USDT be staked?
Because staking rewards pay for securing a proof-of-stake network, and only a chain's own coin does that. USDT sitting in your wallet takes no part in consensus, so the protocol pays it nothing. With ADA, by contrast, you delegate to a stake pool without moving your coins, and the network pays the rewards. The assets overview explains why Gatewayz ranks assets with native staking first.
How would lending USDT produce yield?
Through interest paid by borrowers. In a pooled lending market you supply stablecoins and receive a token representing your share; on Liqwid, a Cardano example, these qTokens rise in value against the underlying as borrowers pay interest, and rates rise with utilization. Borrowers post overcollateralized loans that anyone can liquidate once a loan's health factor falls below 1, and debt nobody liquidates is absorbed by suppliers. Cardano stablecoins explains the mechanism in more depth.
What are the risks of earning yield on USDT?
They stack: the issuer's risk, the lending protocol's risk and market risk.
| Risk | What can happen |
|---|---|
| Issuer | You rely on Tether holding the reserves and honoring redemptions; attestations are point-in-time checks, not full audits. |
| Depeg | USDT can drift from $1 through doubts about its reserves or a run on redemptions. |
| Smart contract | A bug or exploit in the lending contracts can lose deposits. Audits lower this risk but do not remove it. |
| Withdrawal liquidity | Supplied funds are lent out, so withdrawals depend on unborrowed liquidity. |
| Oracle | A manipulated or stale price feed can cause wrong liquidations. |
| Bad debt | If collateral falls faster than liquidators act, suppliers absorb the shortfall. |
The ADA program's risks are on Risks.
What would have to be true for Gatewayz to support USDT?
Three things. Gatewayz would need a lending protocol with a published audit, this page would have to list that protocol's contract risk before launch, and only interest actually received would become a discount, as with ADA. The discount would stay non-transferable and could not be withdrawn or exchanged. If you want USDT support, join the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay for AI with USDT yield on Gatewayz today?
No. USDT is listed as coming, and ADA is the only live asset. The program is pre-launch, with a working demo on Cardano's preprod testnet by invitation, and it is not available to US or Canadian persons.
Does USDT earn staking rewards?
No. USDT is a stablecoin with no native staking. Any return comes from lending it or from protocol interest, which carries smart contract, depeg, liquidity, oracle and bad-debt risk.
Is Tether's reserve report a full audit?
No. Tether publishes quarterly attestations by BDO Italia on its transparency page. An attestation checks reserves at a point in time and is narrower than a full audit.
What backs USDT?
Per Tether, USDT is backed 100% by Tether's reserves, which are mainly US Treasuries and reverse repo, plus other assets including gold and bitcoin.
Would the USDT discount be cash?
No. As with ADA, the discount would sit on your Gatewayz account, usable only for inference, and could not be withdrawn, transferred or exchanged.
Sources
- Tether: Transparency, as of 2026-10-27
- Circle: USDC transparency, as of 2026-10-27
- Liqwid docs: qTokens, as of 2026-10-27
- Liqwid docs: Liquidations, as of 2026-10-27
- Liqwid docs: Risk analysis, as of 2026-10-27
- Liqwid docs: Supply and earn, as of 2026-10-27
- Chainlink: DeFi stablecoins explained, as of 2026-10-27
- Chainlink: What is a stablecoin depeg?, as of 2026-10-27
Discounts are a share of staking rewards Gatewayz actually received, can change at any time, and are not a guaranteed return. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet. Not investment, legal or tax advice. Figures as of 2026-10-27. Program disclosures